7 comments:

1. The percentages polled on the question about trust are essentially the same for each candidate, assuming there's a margin of error. We can only reasonably conclude from it that the public don't really believe politicians. Gee, I didn't know that.

No one trusts Livingstone to deliver on his fares promise, at least not without fleecing everyone in some other, equally unpleasant, way. Do you?

2. The three pounds reduction in council tax should be compared with Livingstone's record of putting tax up significantly, year on year. After your token effort at balanced reporting yesterday, it seems you somehow overlooked that important comparison today.

Why anyone would want to vote for such an unpleasant character as Livingstone boggles the mind.

You don't remember? People cared a lot about inflation-busting council tax hikes under Labour, and Livingstone. I can remember the protests; I can remember the pensioners hauled before the courts for taking a principled stand -- and not paying up.

"2) Is BorIs only taking £3 off of it?"

When you factor in the coalition's UK-wide council tax freeze together with Johnson's nominal cut, and take that against a background of relatively high inflation over the same period, the real effect is worth more than three pounds in people's pockets.

Maybe that's why the public isn't so exercised about the issue these days. N'est-ce pas?

The fact is the majority of the rise under Livingstone was to pay for more police officers and new functions that the GLA group took on over that time. Despite all the outrage from the Tories, Boris has largely kept that settlement.

The freeze over the last few years been paid for by central government not by any Boris efficiencies. Almost every local authority, Labour, Tory and Lib Dem has had one and while it adds up to a significant amount on a council tax bill, it doesn't on the GLA precept. We're still talking pennies a week.

No I'm criticising him for pretending to save me money whilst costing me far far more in fare rises. The overall cost of the GLA group to most Londoners now is bigger in real terms than it was under that supposedly dreadful spendthrift Livingstone.